By The Hoopla and Julie Boyd January 30, 2012 The “tiger mother” approach to raising children is a failure, according to a new US study. Fierce tiger mother Amy Chua with daughters Louisa and Sophia. You may recall that last year Amy Chua’s book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother advocated an Eastern view of […]

My Dad died twenty years ago today. In the midst of a clean-out at my Mum’s house this morning I found the eulogy I wrote and read at his funeral. I didn’t know she’d kept it. It’s only a little word, Dad, but, when you think about it, very special. There were only two of […]

(C) Julie Boyd 2012 As parents we are all concerned about what the future will bring and the type of world our children will be seeking to live and work in. It can be very confusing trying to help our sons and daughters make the best decisions for their own futures, and can sometimes […]

(C) Julie Boyd 2012 Many young people find it difficult to manage the myriad distractions which can take the focus away from their work. Managing multiple forms of technology; needing to respond to friends immediately they text or call, can lead to procrastination when it comes to getting schoolwork done, and getting enough sleep. […]

(C) Julie Boyd 2012 Parenting adolescents can be a tricky balancing act. Young people growing up and beginning to assert their independence can provide challenges for the relationship you will maintain with your children, and particularly your son. Appreciating that they are beginning to strike out on their own, signals a time of change, […]

(C) Julie Boyd 2012 Steve Biddulph, has dedicated his professional life to the education of young men, and has identified as being problematic for adolescent boys. You may wish to use this expansion of Steve’s ideas to consider how, as a family, you are responding to any of these which may be affecting you. Disengagement…yet […]

SHOW ME THE MONEY It seems that weddings are a lot more complicated these days than I realised. My son and his bride signed the registration application at an office in Japan seven years ago – ‘much like paying your rates’ I was told at the time, and are happily anticipating a non-wedding party […]

First published by http://thehoopla.com.au/dentiger-mother/?cpg=2 You may recall that last year Amy Chua’s book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother advocated an Eastern view of parenting; pushing children to excel and succeed, even at the cost of their personal happiness. It caused a global storm of controversy and topped the best-sellers lists. Two incidents Chua documented that […]

Caring and Sharing: It Takes a Village… ‘What are we going to do about the Abrahams?’ Yvonne, John, Christine and Jenny were sitting on tiny chairs in the middle of the ‘Neighbourhood Centre’ they had established just two years earlier. John and Jenny were both professionals with very young kids. He, a recently widowered social […]